Newsletter Signup

Subscribe

More Than Half of Shoppers Search Amazon First

55 per cent of US consumers begin the hunt for products online by searching Amazon, compared to just 28 per cent who look for products using search engines, a new survey has revealed.

The research was commissioned by digital marketing firm BloomReach and carried out by Survata, surveying 2,000 US consumers as part of its annual Labor Day weekend study of online shopping habits.

The survey found that Amazon's market share of retail search had actually increased since last year, when it accounted for 44 per cent of initial searches for products. Only 16 per cent of consumers start their digital shopping excursions on a specific retailer's website.

While 53 per cent of consumers said that Amazon offers the best site experience in digital retail, some of those surveyed were also worried about its monopoly on online retail, with around one in five saying they were concerned about Amazon's dominance relative to other retailers.

"Amazon has become the reference point for shoppers," said Jason Seeba, head of marketing at BloomReach. "shoppers will go to Amazon first to find a product and check prices."

The research also surveyed 400 marketing and sales representatives at large retailers, and found that those who considered Amazon to be their top competitor were twice as likely to be worried about losing their jobs because of competition.

With US eCommerce sales expected to rise 13 per cent this year to $385bn (£298bn) and subscriptions to Amazon's Prime service which offers free one-day delivery also on the rise, online retailers need to be on the lookout for new ways to engage consumers and create loyal customers who will think of them first when it comes to making purchases.